Page Six
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
Happenings -
HAPPENINGS film reviews
are written by Kim Potter.
All week iong
COMMERCIAL CINEMA
Jackson County Jail-(State)
- The most bizarre movie mu-
tation in years: This sleazy,
grade B sex - and - violence
cheapie about rape and murder
in Mississippi briefly toured the
drive - in circuit a couple of
months ago, then slipped into
the obscurity it eminently de-
served. Now comes tbe puncb
line: Belatedly discovered by
big city "insiders", Jackson
County Jail has suddenly and
inexplicably found itself cham-
pioned by The New York Times
and other monarchs of taste as
a bold and innovative depicter
of "true, raw Americana". The
only true Americana involved
in this misbegotten enterprise
was the bald - faced cynicism
of Jackson's huskster produc-
ers, wbo mosthnowbe laughing
all the way to the bank about
having put one over on the Big
Apple slickers.
Don't let the pontifical raves
on the theater ads fool you:
Jackson County Jail is garbage
can cinema, an abomination
every inch as morally repel-
lent as it is artistically imbe-
cilic. I'm no believer in censor-
ship, but can only warn that
anybody shelling out one to
three bucks to see this excre-
ment will ernerge the poorer
for it - and not just financial-
ly.
Ode to Billy Joe - (The
Movies, Briarwood) - This
week's second Deep South of-
fering unravels at last the long-
confounding (?) riddles of Bob-
bie Gentry's decade-old song.
According to the movie, Billy
Joe took his plunge off Talla-
hatchie bridge for reasons
more Freudian than Manson-
ian, but the film suffers not so
much from its rather dull solu-
tion as from an insufferable sat-
uration of situation comedy
cuteness. Directed by
Baer, (late of The Beve
billies), Billy Joe is
with an army of pre
post-adolescent cherubs
ing cutesy - risque wi
(there must be 700 bri
velooment jokes), wh
adilts shake their hea
smile adoringly.
The film's perfor
leave much, if not eve
to be desired. Glynnis
nor is only moderately
petent in the pivotal
16-year old Bobbie Le
the same cannot be sa
sublimely untalented la
ed Bobby Benson, whc
forms the role of the
matic, slightly mad B
into an anproximation o
(smond doing an imit
Jerry Lewis. Young Y
heretofore most me
theatrical achievement
Wolfman Jack TV acn
mercial, an endeavor fo
he seemed much more
ally and dramatically
fied. *
Silent Movie - (Mic
A down - and - out Hi
director decides to mal
lent picture as a chang
nonce innovation, with w
oli-ations r e s u lt
Mel Brooks' film may
to be a parody of th
eenre, bt really isn't
it's a full-fledeed met
anod stading of thev
art. ready to take its n
oiide the best works of
fhnnlin and the other
of the field. It's diffield
lie,=p Brooks will ever
hotter film than this on
it may indeed he the
mo'ie ever made. ****
Bugs Bunny Super:
(Campus) - A collet
some of the finest pro
Warner Bros. animatio
the most consistently
of all the cartoon produ
Buffalo Bill and the
- (The Movies, Briars
A splendidly-made but
ly unmoving study of th
y Max cowboy's Wild West show of
rly Hill- the 1880's. Based loosely on Ar-
gorged thur Kopit's play, Indiana, the
cocious, film swiftly establishes its dual
mouth- theme of The White Man's big-
tticisms otry toward The Red Man and
east de- of the power of image - making
tile the salesmanship to distort and of-
ads and ten obliterate reality, than plays
variations on the subject the
rmances rest of the way. Director Rob-
rything, ert Altman has at last evolved
O'Con- a cinematic style fully and le-
incom- gitimately his own, and it is a
part of pleasure to watch this talented
e; alas filmmaker in complete - if
id of a somewhat meandering - con-
d nam- trol of his material.
o trans- But for all its virtues, Buf-
charis- falo Bill lacks something un-
illy Joe definable - perhaps it's sim-
f Donny ply the fact that most of its
ation of characters are such schmucks
Benson's that it's hard to get really in-
morable volved with them. Their innate
was the rottenness is thoroughly estab-
ie com- lished ten minutes into the film,
ir which and Altman, for all his cine-
physic- matic virtuosity, has nothing
quali- to develop further. The end re-
sut is a film consistently stim-
higan)- lating to the mind and senses,
ollywood but aridly circumnavigating
ke a si- the heart.*
e - of *
l com- Saturday
t ong.
appear CINEMA
ie silent CNM
at all: Mr. Deeds Goes to Town -
tber in (Cinema Guild, Arch. Aud.,
wordless 7:30 & 9:30) - Frank Capra's
dlace be- famous comedy about a small
Keaton, town hick (Gary Cooper) who
eenimses inherits a million dollars, is
it to be- subseotently exposed to the
make a wicked, wicked ways of the big
e, since city. The first of Capra's "com-
funniest mon man" films, which prove
insufferable to some critics
-a hot enioved by this writer quite
star - thoroughly. ****
ction of
ducts of The Story of Adele II -
in from (Cinema II, Ang. Aud. A, 7:30
talented & 9:30) - Francois Truffaut's
cers. recent study of infatuation car-
Indians ried to its extreme, chronicall-
wood) - ing Adele Hugo's neurotic
strange- round - the - world pursuit of
e famed a fickle young army officer and
1936
TO TOWN
rites poems for greeting cords,
er fire engines) who inherits o
nicol city. There he meets Jean
dward Arnold (who's after the
CA )at 8-FREE)
OLD ARCH. AUD.
Admission $12
me on campus 1975
Odele H.
's daughter, Adele, Truffaut's
ules and Jim" (Pauline Kael).
mination for her haunting par-
self in her hopeless search for
AUD. 'A' ANGELL HALL
Admission $1.50
her eventual descent into mad-
ness. Failing in love with love
is the theme here, and while
Truffaut's direction is rather
stolid, Isabelle Arjani's virtu-
oso interpretation of the obsed-
ded heroine manages to bring
the whole enterprise off. ***
Sunday
CINEMA
America - (Cinema Guild,
Arch. Aud., 8 only) - D. W.
Griffith's cost of thousands de-
piction of the American Revolu-
tion, often said to be his su-
preme artistic potboiler. Oh
well, admission is free.
Monday
CINEMA
A Clockwork Orange - (Ann
Arbor Film Co-op, Ang. Aud.
A, 7 & 9:45) - The grotesquer-
ies of Alex and his droogs sit
less and less well with me as
the years go by. Stanley Ku-
brick cinematizes Anthony
Brugess' sterile, souless future
society through a film so static
and souless itself that it be-
comes more a product of Bur-
gess' nightmore vision than a
depiction of it.
Yet crowds of moviegoers still
flock to Clockwork, then sit
snickering nervously at the un-
pleasantries unfolding onscreen.
They seem skin toa group of
chain smokers longing to kick
the habit, but rendered helpless
by the inexplicable, mesmer-
izing lure of the evil product.
Use a little will power, folks;
there are far greener cinematic
and sociological pastures than
this one. **
The Guns of Autumn -
(Summer Film Showcase, MLB
3, 7:30 only) - Large - screen
showing of CBS's controversial
documentary depicting Ameri-
can hunters as something less
than pristine sportsmen. If you
missed the program on TV you
ought to try and catch it now,
since gun lobby pressures will
likely keep it from ever being
shown on television again. Ad-
mission is free.
Tuesday
CINEMA
Last Tango in Paris - (Ann
Arbor Film Co-op, Ang. Aud.
A, 7 & 9:15) - Bernardo Berto-
lucci's extraordinary love tri-
angle has obviously suffered
from a kind of critical back-
lash to Pauline Kael's famous
Saturday, July 31, 1976
pre - release super - rave in
1972. The aceepted "in" posi-
tion today seems to be to cate-
gorize the film as a good but-
decidedly overrated effort. Well,
I think Kael was absolutely
right: Last Tango is the most
intimate and at the same time
flamboyant study of human re-
lationships I have ever seen in
a motion picture, and I doubt
that any actor will ever equal
Marlon Brando's self - dissec-
tion of a protagonist in Hell.
This is one of the three or four
made and also certainlyetaoin
most important films ever
made, and also certainly one of
the best. ****
Wednesday
CINEMA
Visions of Eight - (Ann Ar-
bor Film Co-op, Ang. Aud. A,
7 & 9) - The 1972 Olympics as
seen through the eyes of eight
prominent directors, including
Milos Forman and Arthur Penn
(the latter's only film effort
over' a four-year yeriod). Nev-
er widely circulated, but prob-
ably entertaining to sports ad-
dicts and sports loathers alike.
T h' i rsday
CINEMA
Nashville - (Ann Arbor
Film Co-op, Ang. Aud. A, 7:30
only) - Robert Altman's giant
country epic back for a return
engagement. The most wildly
debated American film in
years: Is it a soul-searing X-
ray of our society, or a smugly
simplistic nose thumbing at
Middle America? You be the
indge, but either way a genu-
ine original, and not to be
missed. ****
Animation - (Simmer Film
ihowcase. MLB, 7:30 only) -
A collection of a dozen of the
hest nroducts of two and three-
dimensional filmed animation.
This croon includes the sub-
limelv innovative. Oscar - win-
ning Closed Mondays, which
alone would he worth an admis-
sion price: but best of all, this
whole show is FREE. Don't
miss it.
WINS SIX OF SEVEN
BOSTON (M) - The hottest
jockey during a cold January
at Suffolk Downs racetrack was
Gonzaio Prosper. On Jan. 23 he
rode six winners in seven at-
tempts, including both ends of
a $32.80 daily double.
All of the highly-regarded rid-
er's winners returned less than
4 to 1 odds.
FRANK CAPRA'S
MR. DEEDS GOES
Gory Cooper plays a small-time hick (who w
plays tuba in the local band and chases aft
million dollars nd goes to the corrupt and cyr
Arthur (a reporter after an exclusive) and E
money) . One of Capra's best comedies.
SUN.: D.W. Griffith's AMERIC
TONIGHT AT
CINEMA GUILD 7:30 & 9:30
TODAY & TOMORROW AT
1-3-5-7-9 OPEN 12:45
603 east liberty
..-" *
TODAY & TOMORROW AT
1-3-5-7-9 OPEN 12:45
- ,~;, ,
FRANCOIS TRUFFAUT
first ti
T ie story of
Based on the tragic story of Victor Hugo
most recent work is "his finest film since J
Isabelle Adjani won an Academy Award not
troyal of a young woman who destroys her
romantic love. French, with subtitles.
CNEMA 11 TONIGHT AT
7:30 & 9:30
The tie Poe6861
NOW SHOWING
SHOWS TODAY &
TOMORROW AT
1-3-5-7-9:00
OPEN 12:45
3'. Carots .
- -N Y. Dafly Neev
BUGS Bunny
SS4OMROsa't
#TO 24 CAROT 001UMS
IniatoSiT ORIOONY TUNLS
Introduced by 0RS0N WEL.ES
4 .
ENDS TUESDAY-
SHOWS TODAY &
TOMORROW AT
1:00-4:00-7:00-8:30
OPEN 12:45
WALT DMSEY
PRODUCTXON '
TECHNICOLOR* ~
--PLUS-
"BAMBI"
S